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Riot Games’ flagship title League of Legends is making its way to the Xbox Game Pass very soon. League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) that has over 160 playable characters. Released in 2009, League of Legends is based on a modded map for Warcraft III called Defense of the Ancients. For someone who has never played League of Legends, the sheer number of champions alone might be enough to scare them away from trying it. But thankfully, Riot Games and Microsoft are teaming up to provide players with one of the most extensive collaborations ever which includes a League of Legends Game Pass. Players do not need to own the Xbox Game Pass to access Riot’s free-to-play MOBA but it comes with big advantages.
On 12th June, Riot Games announced that it was partnering up with Xbox to release its biggest PC and Mobile titles on the Xbox Game Pass this year. Riot Games’ Co-founder and President of Games Marc Merrill announced this during a surprise segment at the Xbox & Bethesda 2022 Games Showcase.
League of Legends Game Pass: Expected Release Date
According to the announcement, the League of Legends Game Pass is expected to launch “this winter.” Riot Games and Microsoft have not specified a hard launch date yet for the League of Legends Game Pass collaboration but players can expect to get their hands on the content either in late 2022 or in the early months of 2023. The Game Pass collaboration not only includes League of Legends but also Valorant, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Teamfight Tactics.
Perks of having the Xbox Game Pass for League of Legends
All subscribers will be able to unlock all champions in the MOBA through the League of Legends Game Pass. In an announcement, Riot Games said, “Game Pass is the latest in a long line of innovations from Xbox, and we can’t wait to add our games to its catalog. We’re excited to invite Xbox players to join our 180-million-strong community of aspiring pros, hardstuck silvers, content creators, K/DA fans, and more.” Additionally, apart from all the champions being unlocked, players will also receive bonus experience across select titles, the company said.
Microsoft wrote, “One of the most-played competitive games in the world. A mainstay of the MOBA genre, in League, two teams of five powerful champions face off to destroy each other’s base in a game that blends speed, strategy, and intensity. With Game Pass, members will unlock all 160+ champions plus get day-one access to each new champion as it’s released.”
Unlocking champions in League of Legends could be taxing because new champions cost 7800 Blue Essence (BE) and collecting Blue Essence by leveling up and completing missions is a time-consuming process. In fact, many players who have been playing League of Legends for decades have not unlocked all the 160+ champions in the game. With the League of Legends Game Pass, players will not have to grind hours together to unlock their favorite champions.
Riot Games’ Senior Director & Head of Corporate Communications Joe Hixson clarified that players won't lose access to anything they have unlocked if they let their subscription expire.
